Did you know the more you recall an event the more your mind misconstrues the details? An easy way to understand this is by referring to a game of telephone.
If you’re unfamiliar, telephone involves whispering a message into the ear of someone in line beside you. Once the last person has heard the message, they recite it out loud, usually wildly incorrect.
Similarly, instead of remembering the original event, your brain may just remember your last recollection.
In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, doctoral student Donna Bridge said, “Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval ... Memories aren’t static. If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information.”
Flashbulb memories are those that are obtained during the element of surprise. For example, you may be able to perfectly recall getting stuck out and about during the blizzard of 1993 or maybe Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Contrary to the imprint the event may have made on you, the memory, specifically the details, are subject to distortion. Was it your grandson Jimmy with you while you were out buying groceries to prepare for disaster or was it actually Robert, your son?
I can’t count the amount of times my maternal grandparents have gotten my mother and myself confused. “Do you remember when we went here doing such and such, Mollie?” “No, papaw. That was mom.”
Rest assured they nor you are going senile. It’s just a factor of time alone. I’ve found myself recalling a story that I thought I knew well then questioning who all was with me.
Have you ever told a story and someone else chime in with, “Yeah, so and so did this?” You think for a minute and suddenly remember that did happen. Actually, it probably didn’t. Scientist have discovered that prompting subjects, specifically eyewitnesses of crimes, invokes false details.
After all this being said, what can we do to improve our memory? As far as I know, you can’t really.
What I would advise is writing it all down if you really want to remember it. Even if it’s after the fact, the recollection will be more accurate than it will be by reciting solely off memory six days, six months, six years down the road.
Heck, if it’s something important that you know you’ll want to remember, whip out your trusty pocket do-all device and record it ... As long as you are permitted to do so. Don’t come knocking on my door if you get in trouble for recording something you shouldn’t have.
Mollie Allen is a staff writer for The News Observer. She can be reached at 706-632-2019 or by email at mollie@thenewsobserver.com.